Since the time Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of infection, medical instruments have required sterilization to prevent contamination and the spread of infection in patients. Hospitals and other medical care providers, faced with substantial numbers of instruments to be sterilized, continually search for techniques to increase the efficiency and speed of sterilization. Moreover, it is difficult for hospitals to accurately determine exactly when medical instruments will be used. Accordingly, after medical instruments have been sterilized, hospitals require storage and transportation facilities to protect the medical instruments against physical damage and contamination.
In order to sterilize medical instruments, hospitals typically use sterilizers that apply steam or other sterilizing gases at a specific heat and humidity for a predetermined time. These sterilizers kill pathogenic organisms located on the instruments and on the containers in which the instruments are held. When such containers are removed from the sterilizer, the instruments inside the containers are sterile. In order to keep the instruments sterile, some previous techniques wrap the instruments in cotton muslin fabric or a non-woven polyolefin material. The instrument wrap protects the instruments against bacteria, dirt, dust and other contaminants so that the instruments are sterile when used.
Such wraps have several shortcomings. Significantly, wraps neither protect delicate instruments from physical damage during handling nor protect health care workers from sharp items wrapped inside. Also, wraps require extra labor in wrapping the instruments. Further, wraps are susceptible to contamination and do not provide for a long shelf-life. Moreover, if wraps are made of cotton material, then the wraps must be washed and processed, thereby adding extra cost. If wraps are made of non-woven disposable materials, then excess waste is created when the wraps are discarded.
Due to the significant shortcomings of instrument wraps, rigid sterilization containers have been developed to hold medical instruments. In expediting the sterilization of medical instruments, hospitals prefer to vertically stack multiple sterilization containers inside a sterilizer. Typically, a rigid tray holds several medical instruments inside the sterilization container. Such a tray normally includes an array of apertures to allow the passage of gases and condensate. Usually, the tray is removable from the rigid sterilization container.
Many medical instruments are very expensive and require special care during physical handling and transportation. If a medical instrument's physical size fails to occupy a sufficiently large amount of available space within the tray, then movement of the tray can result in collisions between the medical instrument and another object such as the tray, the sterilization container, or another medical instrument. Collisions might also occur between two or more medical instruments if the medical instruments are positioned too closely within the tray.
Such collisions can extensively damage one or more medical instruments in the tray. Accordingly, the positioning and organization of medical instruments within the tray is especially important for minimizing the risks of physical damage to medical instruments during storage, handling and transportation of sterilization containers. The relative positioning and organization of medical instruments within the tray depends upon each instrument's physical design and its freedom of movement within the tray.
According to some previous techniques for holding medical instruments, silicone rubber blocks are custom manufactured into predefined shapes. These silicone rubber blocks are inserted into the tray to hold medical instruments. Nevertheless, silicone rubber blocks have several shortcomings.
For example, silicone rubber blocks are dedicated to hold only specific types of medical instrument sets that have shapes compatible with a silicone rubber block's predefined shape. Accordingly, silicone rubber blocks impose restrictions that limit their ability to be reconfigured and customized by the user to securely hold a variety of different instrument sets. Moreover, silicone rubber blocks can be obtrusive, and in many cases the area of a medical instrument that contacts a silicone rubber block is inadequately sterilized. Further, silicone rubber blocks are frequently cost prohibitive.
According to other previous techniques for holding medical instruments, stainless steel is formed into predefined shapes. In one such technique, stainless steel is formed into a spring clip and bolted into the tray. A medical instrument is snapped into place between two prongs of the stainless steel spring clip. In another such technique, stainless steel is formed into a rack somewhat analogous in theory to a bicycle rack. Medical instruments are parked in respective slots of the stainless steel rack.
Formed stainless steel has some of the same shortcomings as silicone rubber blocks. For example, formed stainless steel is dedicated to hold only specific types of medical instrument sets that have shapes compatible with the formed stainless steel's predefined shape. Accordingly, formed stainless steel imposes restrictions that limit its ability to be reconfigured and customized by the user to securely hold a variety of different instrument sets. Due to the surface hardness of such steel holders, delicate edges on cutting instruments can get nicked and dulled. Further, formed stainless steel is frequently cost prohibitive.
Thus, a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for holding a medical instrument, in which an adequate separation is maintained between the medical instrument and another object. Also, a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for holding a medical instrument, in which efficiency is increased. Further, a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for holding a medical instrument, in which the risk of physical damage to the medical instrument is reduced during storage, transportation and handling. Moreover, a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for holding a medical instrument, in which a variety of different instrument sets can be securely held, and in which an arrangement of instruments can be reconfigured and customized by the user if desired. Finally, a need has arisen for a method and apparatus for holding a medical instrument, in which the medical instrument is securely held in a more cost effective and less obtrusive manner, and in which more areas of a medical instrument are adequately sterilized.